Tuesday, March 6, 2012

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Every Tuesday, I'll be posting the opening paragraph (sometimes maybe a few) of a
book I decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s). Feel free to
grab the banner and play along. This week's selection is from a book by an author I've enjoyed in the past, (Caribou Island) by David Vann.

"Galen waited under the fig tree for his mother. He read Siddhartha for the hundredth time, the young Budda gazing into the river. He felt the enormous presence of the fig tree above him, listened for the no wind, for the stillness. Summer heat pressing down, flattening the earth. Sweat in a film covering most his body, a slick.

The old house, the trees ancient. The grass, grown long, making his legs itch. But he tried to concentrate. Hear the no wind. Focus on breath. Let the no self go by.

Galen, his mother called from inside, Galen.

He breathed more deeply, tried to let his mother go by.

Oh, there you are, she said. Ready for tea?

He didn't answer. Focused on his breath, hoped she would go away. But of course he was waiting for her, waiting for tea."

What do you think?

Although those intro paragraphs alone did not hook me, let me tell you if you keep reading on, you'll be hooked before 20 pages -- really enjoying this one.

This opening caught my attention and made me curious about Galen, his reading of Siddartha numerous times, waiting for his mother and then hoping she'd go away, the heat and the quiet, the stillness...it makes me curious about the rest of the story. I already want to read Vann's first book and I'll be adding this one to my list.

Certainly an intriguing writing style. And the reading choice of Siddhartha is kind of interesting. Especially that he's read it for the 100th time. Not hooked yet but I could be! I love this opening paragraph idea.

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(I apologize for the word verification, spammers spoil it for all sadly.)